Chapter 419: They Walked Away

Chapter 419: They Walked Away

Zhang Yi felt a chill crawl up his spine.

Over a thousand corpses, vanished without a trace.

Just yesterday afternoon, they had still been there.

“Could someone have cleaned them up?” Zhang Yi murmured to himself, trying to stay calm as he picked up binoculars and carefully scanned the area.

After thoroughly searching, he confirmed the truth: the bodies weren’t buried under snow or hidden—they were gone.

A sense of dread gripped his heart.

The post-apocalypse world was filled with mysteries. With living creatures capable of mutating, was it possible for corpses to undergo changes as well?

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yi steadied his nerves.

He put on his combat suit, armed himself, and stepped outside.

In the kitchen, Yang Siyah and Zhou Haimei were chatting happily as they prepared breakfast. The laughter and normalcy inside the Shelter stood in stark contrast to the eerie mystery outside.

From the food being prepared, Zhang Yi guessed they were making soy milk, steamed buns, and some delicate side dishes—a classic Chinese breakfast.

“Morning,” he greeted them.

Yang Siyah looked surprised. “You’re up early today.”

Zhou Haimei added, noticing his formal attire, “Are you heading out? What’s going on?”

“Nothing major. There’s something outside I need to check on,” Zhang Yi replied before walking out the door.

The two women exchanged puzzled glances but didn’t press further.

...

Zhang Yi strode cautiously toward the battlefield, gripping his weapon tightly.

The area that had once been littered with corpses was now eerily empty.

Although the overnight snowfall had covered many things, it couldn’t completely erase all traces. A mass disappearance like this would surely leave clues.

As Zhang Yi reached the site, he spotted something unusual—footprints.

Countless footprints, of varying sizes, crisscrossed the area. There was only one direction: away from the battlefield. No signs of entry, only departure.

Zhang Yi shivered, feeling an unshakable sensation of being watched. It was as if something cold and sinister was lurking behind him, its gaze crawling up his back.

He whipped around suddenly, but there was nothing there.

His heart raced as he clutched his chest, trying to calm himself.

Zhang Yi, a man who had faced countless life-and-death battles, found himself unsettled by the sheer strangeness of the situation.

Taking another deep breath, he muttered, “What’s there to fear? If I can kill the living, why should the dead scare me?”

Resolving to uncover the truth, Zhang Yi began following the trail of footprints leading eastward. They stretched into the distance, disappearing over the horizon.

Feeling uneasy about going alone, he turned back toward the Shelter.

Removing his helmet once inside, Zhang Yi took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

Yang Siyah and Zhou Haimei noticed his pale complexion and immediately asked what he had seen.

Instead of answering directly, Zhang Yi instructed them to gather everyone in the living room.

Soon, the entire group was seated on the sofas, dressed in casual clothing, their faces puzzled by Zhang Yi’s combat-ready appearance.

“Take a deep breath and stay calm,” Zhang Yi began. “What I’m about to tell you might sound unbelievable, but I need you to remain composed.”

The group, already growing uneasy, followed his instructions and took a few deep breaths.

Zhang Yi continued, speaking in an even tone, “Last night, over a thousand corpses outside the Shelter disappeared.”

“And from the footprints I found, it looks like they walked away on their own.”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as everyone stared at him in stunned silence.

The women instinctively huddled together, their wide eyes reflecting their growing fear.

“Zhang Yi, don’t joke about things like this,” Zhou Ke’er said, clutching his arm. Despite her scientific background, her face was pale.

“I wish I was joking,” Zhang Yi said, shaking his head. “But you can see for yourselves.”

The group rushed to the windows. Sure enough, the battlefield was pristine—no bodies, no blood, nothing.

“This... this is impossible,” Zhou Ke’er stammered, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing.

Fatty Xu swallowed hard and asked, “Boss, are you sure you didn’t clear the bodies yourself and are just messing with us?”

The others glanced hopefully at Zhang Yi, wishing this was just an elaborate prank.

Rolling his eyes, Zhang Yi replied, “Do I look like I have time for games?”

His denial only deepened their unease.

“How could this happen? Even if it were some group taking the bodies, it’s not like they could’ve done it so quietly,” Liang Yue said.

The destruction of the perimeter cameras during the battle meant they couldn’t review footage for answers.

The sheer scale of the disappearance—over a thousand bodies—ruled out a simple explanation.

As panic began to set in, Zhang Yi’s calm demeanor stood out.

Clearing his mind, he reasoned that in a world of mutations and chaos, even the bizarre had its logic.

“It’s probably the work of Superhumans or some mutated creature,” Zhang Yi said confidently.

“We’ll investigate. If there’s a threat, we’ll deal with it.”

His resolve reassured the group, though tension still lingered.

“Finish your breakfast. Those capable of fighting, gear up and follow me. We’ll trace the footprints and figure this out.”

Though nervous, everyone was eager for answers and quickly agreed.

After eating, Zhang Yi led the group to arm themselves. Together, they set out to follow the footprints into the unknown.

Author's Note